OCEAN CITY — The Ocean City Police Department on Thursday continued an investigation into a hit-and-run collision that has left a foreign seasonal worker from Slovakia in critical condition.
Around 3 a.m. on Wednesday, officers responded to a reported hit-and-run collision involving a bicycle in the area of 2nd Street and Philadelphia Avenue. The bicyclist, a 21-year-old female J-1 student from Slovakia, was riding southbound on Philadelphia Avenue when she was struck by an SUV also traveling southbound. The driver of the SUV failed to stop or remain on the scene.
The victim was transported by Ocean City EMS to Peninsula Regional Medical Center where she remained in critical condition as of Thursday afternoon. OCPD officials said on Thursday the victim’s prognosis was grim but a traffic investigator had confirmed she was hanging on.
During the investigation, detectives identified a suspect and charges are forthcoming pending a consultation with the Worcester County State’s Attorney’s Office. OCPD officials on Thursday said the charges could be filed within the next day or so. The victim’s condition could be a determining factor in the nature of the charges filed against the suspect, who has not been named. OCPD officials have said the suspect will be identified after formal charges are filed.
The foreign worker served as a lifeguard at a community pool in the resort. In some social media posts following the incident, the victim is described as incredibly sweet and a hard worker who always has a smile.
In the day or so after the tragic incident, the local community has already reached out in support of the victim and her family. For example, the Ocean City Baptist Church, which supplies thousands of free meals and mentoring support for foreign student-workers who spend the summer in the resort, is planning a special offering on Sunday to help the victim’s family with lodging and food when they arrive in the U.S.
This incidents marks the third major incident involving a foreign worker. In early August, a 22-year-old Irish worker drowned in the surf after an early morning swim. In July, a student from the Czech Republican was seriously injured after getting caught in trash compactor at a north-end hotel.
